valley, whether it's mass transit, rail, high speed rail and terminal and presidio and others -- what is it? transit first? transit first. it's about jobs. it's about comcommerce. it's about quality of air. it's about quality of life and building consensus in america and by doing so and by listening and leadership from the white house we are able to be a model to the nation with projects of national significance so that other communities can follow our lead, and i join the mayor in seluting the leadership of president barack obama. without his leadership, his priorities, without the work that was done in appropriations committee and diane is a senior -- when i say

senior i mean high ranking. i was a senior too so i take it as a complement but that's where a lot of this work is done so without president barack obama and his commitment to build america we wouldn't have this success today and it's a global vision but it has an impact on everyone that comes to san francisco and especially those that live in san francisco and makes a great difference in the lives of our friends in chinatown and we celebrate their work too and thank you very much for this very important day. [applause] >> so please check that score for me again nancy. our next speaker was once our mayor -- will always be our mayor, one that has served so well in the

senate and now while she has a higher calling she still finds time to remind me "make sure i pay attention to the streets of san francisco" but she has also been a great supporter of not only transportation, but this year she's also said we're going to make sure we protect the cleanest water system this country has, our hetch hetchy. please welcome to the stage senator dianne feinstein. thank you very much for being here. >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you very much mayor lee, leader pelosi, jackie spear, david chiu. most importantly i think the finest secretary of transportation we have had, and nancy said what

he has done for san francisco. i can tell you this is a secretary for california as well. [applause] whether it's riverside county, whether it's los angeles, whether it's the central valley, whether it's the san francisco bay area secretary lahood has been responsible. he's been available for phone calls. he's listened to the reasons for projects and he has moved ahead. would you give him a big round of applause please. [applause] >> well, it's time to say a prayer. it's bottom of the ninth. they have two on and one out, so everybody -- if the giants win this i think they can win the series but they need to win this so let it happen

please. i can't tell you how important i feel this project is. i also can't tell you how hard it is to build anything in san francisco, so this project must move ahead. i think commerce depends on it and i think people depend on it. nancy said it very well but let me just say what the ridership is expected to be. when this central subway opens in 2019 daily ridership along the third street line is estimated to be 43,700. this is expected to rise to 65,000 people per day in 2030. this project is estimated to have the second highest ridership per mile of all subway and light rail proposals

seeking federal funding nationwide, and it will be the most happily used muni line. that's the rational for this project. no question it's expensive. it's worth it if people use it. it's worth it if they stay out of the automobile. it's worth it if it aids in creating space on our bus lines so it's a very important project. i am here to help in my way which is as an appropriator in the senate. jackie has helped in her way. nancy has helped in her way as a leader of a great political party in washington, so mr. secretary everybody that is here we thank you for our responsiveness. it's just great to welcome you here and go giants. [applause] >> mateo county supervisor to

both houses of our california state legislature since 2008 and she has been in congress for jobs and our environment and she been such a great champion of public transportation that even cal train named a loco motor after jackie spear. please welcome congress woman jackie spear. >> thank you mr. mayor. thank you secretary lahood. thank you to the incredible leadership, senator feinstein, nancy pelosi and mayor lee and the board of supervisors to chairman nol an from the sfmta. i am on pins and needles. do we have anything else to report? it's still at the same point we

think they're in commercials. i am reminded from the song from "top gun" "take my breath away" and $942 million takes my breath away and i think to mayor lee for that amount i think we should get a leather flight jacket to thank mr. lahood for the great gift to our great city. the new money that is going to be used here is going to create 1,000 new jobs before the end of the year with many more jobs to come after that. that is something to applaud. thank you again secretary lahood for that. this is one point 7 miles very similar to the length of the golden gate bridge when 75 years ago that was

going to be built and little did we know what that bridge would bring to the economy of san francisco and marin and as we look ahead for 75 years it's interesting what this does for this region. you know the bay area has become the blue angels of science. we do lots of stunts, and we are very successful at doing those stunts and we do them at high speeds, and between this project and the project for cal train to electifiy it over the next seven years $3 billion is going to be spent regionally on transit here, and we can say thank you to the secretary of transportation and to the regional transit authorities who have create thursday opportunity for the transportation. >> >> that will create a 22nd century of transit for the

tronst century of jobs so thank you to secretary lahood and thank you to the leadership for all that we have accomplished here today. [applause] >> peter rogof was dominated to serve in the federal administration by the department of transportation in 2009 by president barack obama. he has over see the disbursement throughout the country through the american reinvestment act and has done so meeting every milestone established by that act. getting money into hands of transit operators whose budgets were severely strained by the worse economic downturn since our great depression. please welcome fta

administrator peter rogof. [applause] >> well thank you mayor lee and let me just say as the federal transit administrator it's great to be in a federal transit city. as many people know a rail connection was promised to the people of union square and chinatown going on two decades. they made that promise because this quarter is the most densely populated quarter in the entire western united states that doesn't have an adequate rail connection and that promise was made because we have the opportunity here to cut the commute for tens of thousands of people everyday in half by this investment. the vast majority of the people don't own a car. they depend on transit. well today through president obama's leadership, secretary lahood leadership, the vision of the leaders on the stage we are

here to commit $942 million to fulfill that promise. [applause] >> with the signing of this grant agreement we are taking $942 million paid by california taxpayers and to create jobs now when we need them. we're also using those dollars to improve the quality of life, and as jackie spear pointed out plan for the future and economic prosperity of this whole area. when this subway extension opens as senator feinstein pointed out there will be 44,000 people using this light rail line. what she didn't point out that will make it the second or third busiest light rail in the united states. this is an environment that needs to be made and once it's built are gone the days when we have senior citizens

watching the drive by and waiting for a bus that won't stop and then they have to stand on the bus and that bus has to crawl through the same traffic as the cars and get there in way too long period of time. means we will get into a elevator and on the rail and get to your destination in as little as eight minutes. for transit to succeed in the country it needs to be reliable and viable and we need it in the bay area reliable. muni has its challenges and bart is running the oldest rail cars in the united states right now. >> is it over? >> it's over. [applause] >> congratulations san francisco. i thought she was cheering for old rail cars on

bart. [laughter] but let me just point out there is something that we at dot have been focusing on a lot these days and that is the recent census told us that the united states is going to have 150 million more citizens by 2050 and if we won't let the growth overwhelm it we need to plan for it and we plan for it with transit systems like this. we need to invest in the systems that we have but expand the growth of tomorrow, so let me just say it's very easy for me as federal transit administrator to stand up and make these speeches but i want recognize the people that really made it happen. would everyone stand up that has been working on this project for the last two decades? [applause] these are the people that do the environmental work, the

planning, the staging, the construction planning, the contracting. these are the people that made it work, the board members. thank you for all your leadership. thank you to all the leaders up here. we are going to reinvest in the system that we have and maybe great investment for jobs and prosperity for tomorrow. thank you. [applause] >> thank you peter. we should get you up more whenever we win games. well, next up to bat president of our board of supervisors, supervisor of district three where the greatest impact in the neighborhoods will be felt in a positive way for central subway. someone who doesn't own a car. rides his bike everywhere and takes public transportation and learn to riding a bike at night and watching out for everybody

not to interfere with him. our board met david chiu. >> good afternoon. i am so honored to be part of the second most significant san francisco celebration today. in all seriousness i am honored to be here representing not just the board of supervisors, but generations of unanimous votes at my board of supervisors over the years. are they doing this for me? i want to thank mayor lee for his leadership over the years. i of course want to thank and welcome our washington advocates. mr. secretary, you may think that it is not sunny today, but the sun is shining here. you are feeling our warmth. i want to thank you. i want to thank our administrator rogot and thank president obama. washington dc gets it.

[applause] and of course i have to thank our former mayor and senator dianne feinstein. her transit leadership began at city hall when she over saw the rebuilt of our cable car system and wonderful you have been part of this and champion for this all these years. congress woman spare thank you and speaker pelosi we want to thank you for shepherding this subway. we needed champions like all of you and thank you for that. to the mta staff and the director and everyone doing the work, to the ta staff, to the mtc, thank you for all that you're doing. now i had in my talking points a reference that we know you need the central subway if you get

on the 30 stockton and apparently everyone else had that in the talking points. through the denser parts of san francisco, as someone who doesn't have a car i have and millions of us have wasted countless hours trying to get through our downtown corridor but i want to take a moment to thank the most important folks who are not here with us and that is the people of san francisco. for years before i joined the board of supervisors i served on with many volunteers the community advisory group to the central subway. with countless volunteers from the bay view, from visitation valley, from mission bay, south of market, union square, and of course thousands of residents and leaders from chinatown who went to countless public meetings provided tens of thousands of signatures, and stood for years to work extremely hard for world class transportation into the

heart of our city, but we know we are building the central subway not just based on our history but for our future. by the year 2040 we will have 100,000 new households and 200,000 new workers and thousands of new daily car trips. we have to prepare for the future. let me close with a couple of quick thoughts. first i believe that our connecting community slogan it is real. we are the greatest city in the united states and we are an incredible city because our communities come together for our subway and for our giants. second, we have to do more. we have to make sure that we're taking care of not just our daily needs on muni and not just our daily needs for the pedestrians, our sierkists, those in cars, those that walk, but we have to make sure we're investing in the long-term

projects, and lafltly i just want to say one thing. we know over the history of time great cities don't regret building subways. they regret not building them. thank you. [applause] >> reverend norman fong has been praying for 20 years. he has been a great champion. he has to collect all of his efforts for so many years to make sure our communities were served well. he's been an advocate and director of the chinese development center, a center invaluable to the growth of our community to plan affordable housing, transit, to open space, to the care for our seniors. the reverend fong we have been

recognizing your voice for wells fargo on the radio and we want to give recognition to your voice again as a champion for the central subway. come on up reverend norman fong. [applause] >> yeah, that's true. i am going to keep this short, but i also need your involvement. i was asked to do a blessing but those that know me we need to bless each other and today i just want you to say these four words. bless the central subway. say that. "bless the central subway". now, whenever i say this word "this is it" -- i am borrowing from michael jackson. then you did a blessing. okay. this has been the moment we all been waiting

for. this is it. >> (inaudible). >> a community dream is being actualized. this is it. >> [inaudible] >> communities from the bay view to chinatown are being connected. this is it. >> central subway. >> affordable transportation is the life blood of all cities. right? this is it. >> central subway. >> from washington dc to san francisco we are here to accept brait a federally supported and grass-roots driven transit project that represents access for all to jobs, health care, their families. this is it. >> central subway. >> okay. a little extra. in the national play offs of life itself like buster posy we just

hit a grand slam. this is it. >> central subway. >> it's been a long and difficult road towards a new and more inclusive transit system for san francisco neighborhoods, but we shall overcome. am i right? this is it. >> central subway. >> bless the construction workers and those that sacrifice so much -- you know who are you -- that san francisco can move towards a transit for the future and this is it and bless all of you on this wonderful day. thank you. [applause] >> before i invite the final speaker i just wanted to make sure i acknowledge senator mark leno for being here today.

thank you very much. big champion for transportation in our state. steve mecher and thank you for being here. ongoing support. got the sf giants hat, yes. mike cureo and thanks for being here and the construction trades and we have been working with you to get the folks trained over the years. it's a wonderful time, and the chairman -- and the chairman of our san francisco metropolitan transportation agency who has been a long time champion of public transit, a regular muni rider, someone who loves the city and has been at the forefront of not only a great transportation but has his head in our city and programs and wonderful services. please come on up. chairman tom nolan.

[applause] >> leader pelosi asked me what is of going to say after reverend frong. i didn't have a chant rate for that. this is a great day for san francisco. this is a labor of love. we know the economic and transit values of this. as an agency we are committed and not only committed to bringing this fruition on time but under budget as well. is that good? and we will continue the vil against of all of our assets and focusing on the priority number one is safety. this day is possible because of so many people that did so much work here. senator leno is here and the assessor. we have a wonderful working relationship with fta regional leaders and mtc and lazarus from the mtc board and the china chamber of commerce and the san francisco chamber of commerce and the

market street association and the business improvement district and joe an hayes and mike from the building and trades construction council. anytime i get a chance to speak on the mta board i say i am so proud of what we do and we move 700,000 people in the city and it's a difficult task. we have a wonderful staff. we are privileged to have the talent of ed of course for his leadership and i couldn't tell you how proud i am to work with the people on the board of directors and christine, the newest member. and the other members and malcolm couldn't be here today but we are proud to work together on behalf of the people of the city and we are happy to have john fung head this up and

behalf of the board and all of us and thank you mr. secretary. mr. administrator. senator feinstein, leader pelosi, congress woman spear and mayor lee and thank you all for being here and now it's time to make it official. it's sign that document. okay. [applause] >> thank you tom. and as we're getting ready to sign this grand slam document let me make sure we give a great appreciation to our county transportation authority who has been administering the funds for this great project and a great shout out to the union square improvement district. i know there are businesses big and small that will suffer a little bit from the construction but they're going to be patient. they know the result of this is a great future for our great city and thank you to all of the businesses and we will be communicating with them all the

time with all of the agencies. decades now ladies and gentlemen city residents and our city will know the vision started 20 years ago to today we built a great transportation system we're going to be proud of and this is part of our success, the greatest city in the world, san francisco. [applause]